Let me say one word more in introduction. He who is called upon to give these lectures cannot but remember that they are given every year, and that he has had very able and faithful predecessors. There are certainly, therefore, some things which he may venture to omit without being supposed to be either ignorant or careless of them. There are certain first principles, of primary importance, which he may take for granted in all that he says. They are so funda mental, that they must be always present, and their power must pervade every treatment of the work which is built upon them. But they need not be de liberately stated anew each year. It would make these courses of lectures very monotonous; and one may venture to assume that there are some elemen tary principles upon whose truth all students of the ology are agreed, and whose importance they all feel.